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U.S. Vice Presidents Who Became President

Fifteen vice presidents have gone on to serve as president. Only four sitting vice presidents have been elected president—John Adams, Thomas Jefferson, Martin Van Buren, and George H.W. Bush. In addition, Richard Nixon and Joe Biden were also elected president after previously serving as vice presidents, though not while still in office. The remaining nine became president through the constitutional line of succession following the death or resignation of the sitting president.

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John Adams

2nd President of the United States

John Adams served as the Vice President under President George Washington. Adams was elected the 2nd President of the United States in 1796.

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Millard Fillmore

13th President of the United States

Millard Fillmore served as Vice President under President Zachary Taylor. Fillmore became the 13th President of the United States in 1850 after Taylor's death.

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Calvin Coolidge

30th President of the United States

Calvin Coolidge served as Vice President under President Warren G. Harding. Coolidge became the 30th President of the United States in 1923 after Harding's death.

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Richard Nixon

38th President of the United States

Richard Nixon served as Vice President under President Dwight D. Eisenhower. Nixon was elected the 37th President of the United States in 1968.

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Thomas Jefferson

3rd President of the United States

Thomas Jefferson served as Vice President under President John Adams. Jefferson was elected the 3rd President of the United States in 1800.

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Andrew Johnson

17th President of the United States

Andrew Johnson served as Vice President under President Abraham Lincoln. Johnson became the 17th President of the United States in 1865 after Lincoln's assassination.

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Harry Truman

33rd President of the United States

Harry Truman served as Vice President under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Truman became the 33rd President of the United States in 1945 after Roosevelt's death.

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George H.W. Bush

41st President of the United States

George H. W. Bush served as Vice President under President Ronald Reagan. Bush was elected the 41st President of the United States in 1988.

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Martin Van Buren

8th President of the United States

Martin Van Buren served as Vice President under President Andrew Jackson. Van Buren was elected the 8th President of the United States in 1836.

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Chester A. Arthur

21st President of the United States

Chester A. Arthur served as Vice President under President James Garfield. Arthur became the 21st President of the United States in 1881 after Garfield's assassination.

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Lyndon B. Johnson

36th President of the United States

Lyndon B. Johnson served as Vice President under President John F. Kennedy. Johnson became the 36th President of the United States in 1963 after Kennedy's assassination.

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Joe Biden

46th President of the United States

Joe Biden served as Vice President under President Barack Obama. Biden was elected the 46th President of the United States in 2020.

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John Tyler

10th President of the United States

John Tyler served as Vice President under President William Henry Harrison. Tyler became the 10th President of the United States in 1841 after Harrison's death.

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Theodore Roosevelt

26th President of the United States

Theodore Roosevelt served as Vice President under President William McKinley. Roosevelt became the 26th President of the United States in 1901 after McKinley's assassination.

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Gerald R. Ford

37th President of the United States

Gerald R. Ford served as Vice President under President Richard Nixon. Ford became the 38th President of the United States in 1974 after Nixon's resignation.

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